One preacher prayed right before the sermon, “Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and stop me when I’ve said enough.” It is harder to stop talking than to start. Peter always had to say something, whether or not he had something to say.
Just moments before, Peter alone spoke up and made a great confession of Christ, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” In saying this he recognized not only Jesus’ messiahship but also his divinity. In the shadow of the city of Caesarea Philippi, complete with a temple to worship Caesar as Lord, Peter clearly spoke his faith in Jesus. So far, so good. Then as Jesus began to explain his impending crucifixion, Peter took him aside and tried to talk him out of it. “Get behind me Satan,” Jesus responded.
In my life, too, the lows often follow close on the heels of the highs. One moment, we are speaking a good word for God. The next moment we say something hurtful to others. No wonder James said, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger” (James 1:19). Using a baseball analogy, we who talk a lot, get a lot of at bats. This gives us greater opportunity to “make a hit.” It also may mean striking out a lot. Will you covenant with me today to conserve our words and only use them to help others? Starting now . . .
